Carter-Williams aiming for Nov. 13 return, would miss 7 games

The ever-moving timeline for Michael Carter-Williams' return from offseason shoulder surgery may now have an endpoint in place.

Carter-Williams had surgery on his right shoulder in May, and while initial reports had him coming back for the start of the season, he later revealed the procedure came with a wide, six-to-nine month recovery timeline. Even with perceived delays, it appears he'll be back on the early end of that prognosis.

The Philadelphia 76ers are targeting a Nov. 13 return for the reigning Rookie of the Year, according to a report from ESPN. That would mean Carter-Williams would miss just seven regular-season games, leaving the 70 games he played last season a realistic repeat target.

It's worth considering, though, that this Sixers team is in no rush to win games. Nerlens Noel sat out the entire 2013-14 season even though he was ready for action before the end of the year, and the team has every incentive to be patient bringing Carter-Williams back, too.

When he's back, it should be an interesting sophomore season for Carter-Williams, who averaged 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.9 steals as a rookie. And while he'll have all the touches he can handle, the quality of his teammates has also decreased some. He may need to take a step forward just to maintain his stats as opponents make him the focus of their gameplans.